Researchers Want To Use iPhones To Help Fight Malaria In Indonesia

Thanks to our smartphones these days being more powerful than ever, packed with different sensors and apps that can take advantage of the hardware, it is not surprising to find that apart from playing games and taking photos, our phones could be used for more “serious” purposes. A team called IanXen has launched an Indiegogo project in which they are seeking funding to help end malaria on an Indonesian island called Bangka.

How they will do this is by using an iPhone equipped with a portable microscope, a lancet pen, and blood slides. This will allow them to make diagnoses in the field without having to lug around heavy medical equipment, thus making their work a lot more efficient. Due to its portability, they are also offering to sell backers their own RAPID kit in which the backers can then start using it to test in their own countries.

The Indiegogo project isn’t so much to help them fund the equipment, but rather to cover the logistics. “These costs include deploying the IanXen Rapid kit in four locations, paying those employed in order to deliver the project, travel costs and publications costs. Examples of the basic medical supplies needed are: packets of 70% alcohol wipes, blood lancets, the Giemsa staining solution, microscope slides, and deployment costs!”

It will be interesting to see how effective their work will be, but if you’re interested in supporting their efforts, head on over to their Indiegogo page for the details.